


Questions

by owenharpersgirl



Category: Vikings (TV)
Genre: Gen, Vikings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-27
Updated: 2014-05-27
Packaged: 2018-01-26 17:15:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 474
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1696139
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/owenharpersgirl/pseuds/owenharpersgirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Athelstan has so many questions, but never feels like he can ask them. He and Ragnar talk one night and Athelstan gets some answers. Set during episode 5.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Questions

Athelstan sat quietly by the burnt out fire in Floki’s house. The house was silent with everyone else fast asleep. At least, he thought everyone was asleep.

“Priest,” he heard someone say and turned to see Ragnar looking at him.

“Ragnar Lothbroke,” he said, “Do you need something?”

“I need to know what is bothering you,” Ragnar said simply.

“It is nothing sir,” Athelstan said immediately.

“Nonsense,” Ragnar said, “I do not need the power of your God to know something is bothering you. Now, tell me.” Athelstan still looked hesitant, but decided having Ragnar angry with him for speaking the truth was better than anything else.

“I feel as if I can do nothing right,” he finally admitted, “I am your slave and therefore you can do whatever you want with me. So I try to be good; I try to do what I am told.”

“And you do,” Ragnar conceded.

“But it is not enough,” Athelstan said, moving closer to his master, “I try to fit in by learned about your Gods and your ways, but it is like every question I ask is the wrong question. But how am I to know if it is the wrong question unless I know more about your ways and ask those questions? I just don’t understand.” He looked down at his hands, ashamed to have said all that so openly to a man who had the right to beat him to death if he so chose. Ragnar stared at his slave for a moment, knowing he was expecting some sort of punishment for speaking so openly.

“Do you fear me priest?” Ragnar finally asked.

“I feel I am supposed to,” Athelstan said, “But I do not.”

“Good, now, what are the questions you have?” he asked and Athelstan looked up, surprise clear on his face.

“Sir?” he asked.

“You said you have questions, what are they?” he repeated and continued when he saw the look of shock on Athelstan’s face. “It is not easy for us either, having someone here who knows so little of our ways and of our Gods; we do not always know how to tell you things in a way you would understand.”

“I apologize if I have asked things I should not have,” Athelstan said, shocked that Ragnar was saying all this to him.

“It is forgotten,” Ragnar waved him off, “Now, your questions?” The rest of the night passed with Athelstan asking every question he could think of and Ragnar answering them. Sometimes Ragnar had no answer and he and Athelstan would ponder the possibilities together. Other times his answer would weave into great stories that painted pictures in Athelstan’s mind. When everyone awoke the next morning they did not know what had happened in the night, just that things were less awkward when Athelstan asked a question.


End file.
